Improvement in car-couplings



F-.. GIBFORD & L. C. McCORMICK.

CAR-COUPLING.

No. 190,305. I Patented May 1; 1877.

WlTN E-SSES N.PE[ERS. PHOTO LTHOGRAPHER WASHINGTON n C FRANK GIBFOBD ANDLEWIS o. MOOORMICK, or NEWTON, IOWA.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS;

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No, 190,305, dated May 1,1877; application filed March 3, 1877.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK GIBFORD and LEWISO. McGomvnoK, of Newton, in the county of Jasper and State of Iowa, havein-' vented a new and valuable Improvement in Oar-Couplings; and we dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and operation of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,

and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a representation of a bottom view of a pairof cars, showing our improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal centralsection, with side view of the couplers. Fig. 3 is an end view of a car,showing a front view of the coupler, and Fig. 4 is a detail perspectiveview of one of the couplings.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-couplings, wherein thecoupling is effected automatically through the medium oflaterally-movable barbed heads; and it consists in a barbed head havingits curved face longitudinally grooved from point to heel, the saidgroove being designed to receive the shank of the draw-bar of the nextcar, whereby a very intimate and reliable interlocking of the heads isobtained. It also consists in securing the coupling-bar to the truck, orto the king-bolt, securing the-car thereto at a fixed distance above theground, whereby we obtain a low draft, and can couple cars of difierentheights. It also consists in an oblong slot formed in thelaterally-enlarged rear end of the coupling-bar, into which is passedfrom behind a threaded bolt, secured at its rear end to the king-bolt ortruck, and at its front end engaged with a non-rotating hut movingfreely in the end of the slot aforesaid, upon which bolt is appliedastrong spring between the nut and rear end of the slot. It also consistsin certain other minor details of construction, as hereinafter shown anddescribed.

In the annexed drawings, A A designate two railway cars mounted upon theusual trucks B, and connected therewith by means of king-bolts C. Drepresents the draw-bars, having each an enlarged angular head, a, and areduced, preferably, rectangular shank, b. The curved front faces ofthese heads are provided each with a longitudinal groove, 0, extendingfrom point to heel of the said head, for a purpose hereinafterexplained. At its rear end the shank b of the coupling is provided withan enlargement, d, at right angles to the plane of the head, and anoblong slot, 6, is formed therein, in which a non rotating nut,f, isplaced. This nut moves freely from end to'cnd of the slot, and isprevented from rotating relative thereto by means of notches g in itsedges, into which the side bars 9 bounding the slot are received. Erepresents a strong metallic bar, which passes from the rear through theend of enlargement d and is screwed into nut f. This bolt has an eye, h,in its rear end, through which the king-bolt aforesaid passes, and bymeans of which the draw-bar is secured to the truck, and it carries asuitable coiled spring, S, which is compressed between nut f and theheel of engagement d when the train is started. The drawbar is thusallowed to have due horizontal play on the king-bolt as a pivot, andthecarbody is prevented from being racked by sudden jars. The shank of thedraw-bar passes through a horizontal slot, 2', in the lower end of ametallic stirrup, F, depending from the carbody, and is prevented fromupward displacement thereby. In this slot is arranged a notched nut,'j,of the same construction as nut f, above described, into which is passeda metallic pin, Z, carrying a helical spring, S. This spring holds thedraw-bar in proper position for coupling.

When the cars are brought together in coupling, the curved faces 7' ofthe heads a will come in contact, the draw-bars yield laterally throughthe compression of springs S, and the said heads pass each other andthen interlock by the entire length of their plane shoulders t, as shownin Fig. 1, through the recoil of springs S. In this interlocked positionthe shank of each draw-bar will be received in the groove'cin the heada. of the other, thereby preventing the springing upward or downward ofthe cars from disengaging the heads a from each other, and causing thesaid heads to obtain a broad bearing Should any car jump the track itwill become uncoupled automatically from the other.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

vor holding surface the one upon the other.

s As above set forth, the draw-bar will be secured either to theking-bolt or to the truck, but in no case to the car-b0dy, and will bein high or low cars at the same height from the ground, so that weovercome the difliculty of coupling cars of difl'erent heights veryeffectually, and at the same time obtain a low draft. In order toprevent the strain of the draft from bending the king bolts, we employ astrong metallic brace, Gr, secured at one end to the car-body in rear ofthe front truck, and connected with the said bolt by means of an eye, n.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The draw-bars D, having enlarged locking-heads a, provided each witha longitudinal central groove, 0, in front, adapted to receive the shankb of the other between its flanges 1', and having the plane rearshoulders t, each adapted to bear on the other across the shank,combined, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, with a car-body, its truck and king-bolt, of the barE, having an eye, It, adapted to receive said bolt 0, the draw-bar D,having enlargement d, provided with oblong slot e, the non-rotatingslide-nut f, and spring S, substantially as specified.

3. The combination, with a horizontally-vibrating draw-bar, D, of thestirrup F, having slot 1', carrying a non-rotating slide-nut,j, the rod1, and spring S, substantially as specified. 4. The combination, with acar-body, its

truck and king-bolt, of thedraw-bar attached directly to said bolt, anda brace secured at one end to said bolt, and at the other to thecar-body, substantially as specified.

In testimony that we claim the above we have hereunto subscribed ournames in the presence of two witnesses.

FRANK GIBFORD. LEWIS O. MCCORMICK. Witnesses:

J. 0. 0001:, A. EASTMAN.

